Brussels, 13/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - German Transport, Building and Urban Affairs Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee has invited EU ministers responsible for urban and spatial development to Leipzig on 24-25 May to discuss the future of cohesion in Europe. At this meeting, the German presidency will present two documents to the ministers: the Leipzig Charter on sustainable European cities and the EU Territorial Agenda. These documents should allow ministers to draw up new forms of cooperation in the complex field of funding, to promote public-private partnerships and not to lose sight of environmental standards, said Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Ulrich Kasparick, representing Mr Tiefensee, when he spoke to the European Parliament regional development committee on 12 April. The informal Council in Leipzig is not likely simply to debate these two documents: also up for discussion will be concrete measures to ensure that there is follow-up by the Portuguese and Slovene presidencies of the EU. “If we want measures and measurable objectives, we need a continuous monitoring and certification procedure. We need continuous dialogue with the EP, national parliaments, and the parliamentary, regional and local committees involved. We are very keen to make the process of dialogue, which will be launched at Leipzig, permanent,” Mr Kasparick said. The European Commission will be represented in Leipzig by Danuta Hübner. The presidency has also invited the German members of the EP regional development committee, and representatives from national parliaments, NGOs and civil society.
Contents of the Leipzig Charter and EU Territorial Agenda proposed by presidency
Both documents are available on the presidency web site: http://www.eu2007.de
The Leipzig Charter focuses on the strategy of integrated and sustainable urban development and on special areas of action for deprived urban areas. Integrated urban development planning is a prerequisite for successful urban sustainability in European cities, the presidency believes. The key themes are: - enhancing local economies and labour market policies as mainstays of sustainable urban development; - sustainable urban development policies through proactive policies on children, adolescents, education and training; - socially responsible urban transport; - the integration of migrants into the community as a cross-sector issue.
The EU Territorial Agenda is an expression of a new European policy of spatial cohesion, the presidency says. Instead of evening out regional economic patterns and lifestyles, the innovative element in the European integration process focuses more on taking account of the diversity and potential of the individual European regions, which will cooperate more closely in networks in the future, it says. The Agenda presents approaches that: - support all EU regions in contributing more to sustained economic growth and development of the labour market; - enable growth zones in Europe to expand by creating a network of urban regions; - exercise a modern understanding of urban and spatial development where business, science, social groups and administration offices all cooperate to advance regional development.
Exchange of views with regional development committee
Speaking to MEPs on Thursday, Mr Kasparick said he thought that implementing the Charter would “require dialogue between all of the players”. He stressed the fact that, when the Charter was being developed, the presidency worked hard to take account of the EP proposals and that it was very keen that the great diversity of regions and cities be respected. “This is where the European social model finds its expression.” To maintain this diversity, “models of integration have to be created. The integration dimension has to be much stronger than at present,” he said, and he said he believed the Charter would allow progress to be made in this area (on this issue, see also the recent statements by German secretary of state for urban affairs Englebert Lütke Dahldrup at February's Territorial Dialogue on the Lisbon Strategy, EUROPE 9368). Mr Kasparick told Markus Pieper (EPP-ED, Germany), who wondered what exactly was meant by regional diversity, that in some regions there was a marked rural exodus, and at the same time cities were growing. Thus there was a need to improve cooperation between cities and regions. For that, there had to be an open dialogue on equal opportunities to allow all peripheral regions equal access to knowledge. There also had to be improved dialogue on the ground with mayors and local elected representatives, he said. “The documents which will be presented at Leipzig are recommendations,” Mr Kasparick told Constanze Angela Krehl (PES, Germany), adding, “We will extend the integrated approach and try to help the small towns, and cities too, make up ground on the large centres with their very rapid development. The challenge is in how to draw up multiple objectives on research and development, partnerships between research and industry”. This integrated approach is the key to the success of a policy for cities within regions, Mr Kasparick told Jean-Marie Beaupuy (ALDE, France). In response to Gisela Kallenbach (Greens, Germany), who wanted to know if the Leipzig documents would be integrated into the national strategic reference frameworks (NSRF) and regions' operational programmes, Mr Kasparick was very positive: “Yes, we are going to try. First of all, there will have to be agreement on the same objective, that is, an integrated approach. Then we will be able to speak about the issue of funding”. (gb)